The Book Of Darla
by Kruegerdave
Summary: Darla's adventures in an AU where she doesn't die at Angel's hands in S1. She gets whisked away in the night and awakens on a ship. Where is she going? And who accompanies her?
1. Escape

**A/N:** **This is a little fic I'm working on, to run concurrently with TMOHHTF. I have a pretty large roster to work with and I failed to remember Darla's death at this point of the timeline. I found a fun way to work it in, in the form of this prequel. Chapters will be light and fluffy. I hope you enjoy and please comment if you want to see something in particular. Happy reading**

Chapter 1 – Escape

 _It was the strangest thing. There I was one minute, guns a-blazing, looking absolutely sinful and showing Angelus what pain was. Next thing I know, a sack's over my head and I'm being chucked in the back of a van. I awoke to the murmurs. The murmurs of my master. The bag was removed and the harsh lights hurt my eyes. I squinted, making out my captors. I heard someone behind me. With a flick of his wrist I was freed, the ropes that bound me gliding to the floor._

"Arise, Darla." The master spoke, in a tone I hadn't heard in decades.

"Master, you….you're different." I replied, gazing in awe at his brilliance. His face was still that of the demon, but he held himself differently, more majestically, and somehow taller.

"Well, I've been working out."

I stared at him cluelessly.

"You see, Darla, a lot's happened recently. The Master you've served is long gone. Or he will be gone yet. I don't quite understand how to communicate the level of time travel and dimension jumping I've abused to get to this point."

"I believe you Master, the one I had served, he was feeble and bound. But you, I can taste the power in the air. It's rolling off you in waves."

"Indeed. You can taste the magicks that brought me here. They are powerful, however I still need the prophesied events to occur before I can ascend from this place."

"Prophesied events? The harvest already came and went without success. Do you refer to the anointed one?"

"Well, yes and no. A Master will be killed when the anointed one leads the slayer to him. There is a lot involved, and I don't care to bore you with what doesn't concern you."

"But Master, you don't expect me to miss that, do you? I want to see the slayer die. What do you mean 'a master' will die?"

I was growing impatient. I had one thing to look forward to in this town. Waiting for that bag of bones to rise and crush the slayer, and Angelus for betraying me. Now he was saying that none of this would come to be?

"Dear Darla, you were my favourite. Truly, if I'd had a heart it would have broken when you were taken from me."

I stood, dumbfounded. "What on Earth do you mean?"

"Oh, of course. You're not to know. And I dare not tell you of lives and deaths that are to be. All I can say is that tonight I served the universe a great injustice, and I need to send you away for awhile. Pack your things, you leave within the hour."

"Master, leave? For where? I'm so confused. I…"

"Shh, Darla, it will all make sense in time. Now let's get you packed and on your way."

"To Hell with this. I've served you obediently for centuries. On and off."

I made for the entrance but was cut off by one of the henchman. He advanced towards me but I flanked him and drove a knee upwards into his gut. I elbowed him in the spine and drove him to his knees but failed to notice the other goon behind me. I eventually sensed him but it was all too late as he drove an iron pole through my mid-section, impaling me.

"No fair." I said weakly, falling to his feet.

The bag went back over my head and I drifted off into darkness.


	2. Boat Ride

Chapter 2 – Boat Ride

I'm not sure how long I was out for, days, weeks even. They could have kept me out longer, I had no concept of time with my chains and gags and the sack over my head. I sensed constant motion, and could only deduce I was on a ship.

Eventually the sack was shed and I could vaguely make out shapes. I could hear and smell more clearly too, and confirmed that I was at sea. Even with my senses deprived for so long I could hear the thrashing of the waves against the boat and smell the salt, and the sealife, I could hear and smell it all in its majesty. My eyesight took some time to recover but when I did, I realised I was on a tallship. An older vessel. And I was restricted to the gallows, like a slave.

Usually I got to ride in the cargo hold, not with the rats and workers.

The gag stayed in place whilst my captors eyed me over. I looked upwards and found that my chains were fixed to a low-bearing beam above me. There was just enough slack for my feet to touch the floor, but they were also shackled. The dirty rag in my mouth reeked of my own breath and blood. It was tied too tight to loosen with my jaw and trying to bite through it would be more trouble than its worth. The metal pole that had impaled my mid section remained, and it hurt to move too much. But it was a good hurt.

The captors were crew members for the most part. Only one or two people appeared to be dressed adequately. One of them was a younger gentleman who adorned a long grey trenchcoat. He wore thin rimmed glasses and had his hair suitably combed back. He wielded a small one handed crossbow and approached me with purpose. He pointed it at my heart whilst removing my gag.

"Now, listen, Darla. I've been charged with returning you to the motherland. There you will be kept safely until the time has come to return you to the states. There is much in your future that needs to happen but I shan't disclose it." As the man talked, he paced back and forth pretentiously, swinging his crossbow back and forth.

I looked him up and down. A stuffy young British man. Clearly a watcher. This one was particularly stuffy. I decided that was his name.

"Look Stuffy, I have a very full-on schedule back home with the Master. He'll be ascending soon, and I want to be there while the blood that's been spilt…" I stopped there, and let my demon visage take the surface. Stuffy winced slightly as I bit my lip and licked the blood off of it. "is still warm."

Stuffy steeled himself before responding.

"Rest assured, the last place you'll be seeing anytime soon is Sunnydale." He grabbed the pole and slowly shifted it to one side. The pain was excruciating. He took his glasses off and tousled his hair, then he got up close to my ear. "And the name is Wesley." With that he pulled the rod clear out of my side, causing me to gasp and shiver. Who would've thought Stuffy would know how to treat a lady.


End file.
